


The Monster Whose Name Was

by TheTrueOverlordBear



Category: Kagerou Project
Genre: Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-26
Updated: 2014-04-11
Packaged: 2018-01-17 02:18:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 15,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1370251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTrueOverlordBear/pseuds/TheTrueOverlordBear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Here are stories from the lives of each of the so-called "monsters." This short story series is for the Mekakucity Actors Festival, hosted in kageroufestival and set up by kisaragishintaro, in Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tsukihiko

**Author's Note:**

> Tsukihiko...I wonder if you're as kind and courageous as Seto?

"Hey, guys!"

"Tch, will you stay away from us?"

"Stop trying to get along with us, you monster."

"Just try again, and we won't hesitate to skewer you with a stake."

"..."

Tsukihiko still couldn't make any friends, no matter how nice he was.

_I wonder if there's someone out there who wouldn't mind how I look..._ the light-eyed and pale-skinned man thought.

Tsukihiko was a soldier, and he thought of his job as something very honorable. He was defending his fellow citizens from dangers out there. That made him feel like a hero, and he was happy with his job, but other people just don't want to get along with him because of their fear towards his physical appearance.

"It's that guy named Tsukihiko again."

"He's looks so abnormally pale..."

"And his eyes...they don't seem normal, too..."

"He's probably a vampire or something."

"Yeah, we should stay away."

With a sigh, Tsukihiko walked away from the gossiping people and into the forest outside the town. If nature could be considered a friend, then it was the only friend that he currently had. The green leaves, the colorful flowers, the floral scents, the fresh air, the interesting animals...Tsukihiko enjoyed them all. He gazed upon flowers, drawing them and writing about them on a notebook that he always brought. He did the same for the animals, all while observing their habits and writing notes about those habits as well. Then, he would strip down to his underwear and go for a swim in the lake, enjoying the refreshing coolness of the water that wrapped around his body. He would also observe some fish while he was swimming, too.

By the end of the day, he would go home immediately. His superior didn't really care that much if he didn't report back, as Tsukihiko was quite a pariah that most people didn't want to interact with.

As he lay on the bed in his house, where he lived all by himself, Tsukihiko thought about the existence of monsters as he stared at the ceiling.

_I wonder if monsters, the ones that I've read in those stories, are real?_

Tsukihiko was a more sensible person compared to most of the people in his town. He had only met those monsters by reading about them in stories, but he wasn't stupid enough to believe that a few big differences in appearance meant that someone was automatically a monster. They were just...different.

_Speaking of which, aren't we all different?_

As Tsukihiko recalled the times when he would observe other people from within his obscurity, he noticed that each and every person that he had observed had differences from each other, be it in physical appearance, attitude, or preferences. They all had quirks. They all had traits that would make them strange. Still, they frowned upon their strangeness, thinking that society would go into chaos and treat them as outcasts if they showed their strangeness to the public.

_I guess people these days are forgetting that we're all different from each other...but how can I even convince them about that?_

Tsukihiko sighed again, rolling to his side and closing his eyes as slowly went to sleep.

_I guess we're all strange, in a way. Heh, since they consider strange people to be monsters, then I guess we're all monsters, then._

Tsukihiko smiled at the thought, but then he frowned with melancholy again after a few moments.

_Still, I wonder if there's a "monster" out there who would accept me even if I have such a strange appearance? And I wonder if those monsters in stories even exist? I really want to meet them...since no one among my fellow human "monsters" would accept me..._

With sadness towards his situation and hope towards finding a friend, Tsukihiko went to sleep.

* * *

Days passed.

Like always, Tsukihiko was still the "monster" that his fellow townspeople avoided.

And then he met her.

Her name was Azami.

She was a medusa, one of those monsters that Tsukihiko read about.

For him, it was something that made him happy.

_Finally, someone who's just like me...someone that everyone else treats the same way as me...someone who I can be with..._

"I'm a monster. Don't come near me," she said.

That made Tsukihiko smile even more.

"Being alone is a sad thing. I'm a monster as well, so let's spend the rest of our life together."

For Tsukihiko, that was one of the happiest moments of his life.

His life, and her life as well, changed for the better after that.

They were the same in one way, but different in other ways. Still, they got along. Tsukihiko thought it to be something strange, but still, he saw it as a good thing.

_I guess we're the best fit for each other,_ Tsukihiko thought as he smiled.

* * *

And then came the day when he had to go. As in, die.

"Heh, human lifespans aren't as long as yours, Azami...and your appearance still looks the same as when I first met you."

"..."

His wife simply looked down, trying to hide her tears as she watched him nearing his death as he lay on his bed. Tsukihiko had already grown old. His skin was wrinkled, his voice was more feeble, his limbs were losing their strength, and his mind was starting to forget more and more. He still remembered how his wife looked like, though.  _After all, she is someone who I want to never forget._

Their daughter, Shion, lay asleep beside Tsukihiko, as she had wanted to give warmth to her weakening father. The dying man appreciated it very much, but he knew that he wouldn't last any longer.

"I wish that I could live as long as you, Azami..." Tsukihiko, with his eyes on his wife, tried to say with his loudest and happiest voice "...But...I'm sorry. I can't live as long as you."

"..."

Azami was trying to keep silent, although a sniffle came out now and then as she kept on looking down in front of her dying husband.

"Still, I'm happy that I met you. Thank you very much, Azami...Thank you...for accepting me...even if I'm strange..."

Tsukihiko smiled as he closed his eyes.

"I love you...I love you and Shion, Azami...I love the two of you so much."

He remained smiling, even in his last breaths.


	2. Tono

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder why Shintaro takes taking care of Tono so seriously?

Tono.

Who is Tono?

It all started during the two-year HikiNEET period of the boy named Shintaro Kisaragi, some time after he met the cyber girl named Ene.

"Shintaro, here's a rabbit for you to take care of. I know you don't want to go out of the house, but I think you should at least do something other than eating, sleeping, and using that computer of yours, so I bought this bunny from the pet store. And please, will you take a bath already. You're starting to smell bad."

And then his mother left the room, leaving a cage containing a snow-white bunny. Beside the cage was a bag of rabbit food and two metal bowls, one for the food and the other for the water.

"Okay..." Shintaro responded indifferently, immediately turning his gaze back to the screen of his computer.  _Well, feed it twice or thrice a day, and that's it. Nothing big. Nothing big at all._

"Master, I don't think that rabbit's normal," Ene commented, inquisitively peeking at the bunny near the door.

"Eh? That only happens in anime, Ene. As if it would be like that."

Ene slapped a palm to her face and slid it down to show a hollow smile.

"I'm a cyber girl, if you haven't forgotten, Master."

"..."

Shintaro, who now wore a smile as hollow as Ene's, moved the cursor to the hovering Ene and dragged her to the Recycle Bin.

"Aw, deleting me again, Master?" Ene playfully replied. "Don't worry, no matter how many times you delete me, I'll b-"

"Shut up, Ene," said Shintaro after emptying the Recycle Bin.  _There's no way a rabbit would be some sort of monster with super powers...right?_

"You're tripping up doom flags when you say that, Master!" mocked Ene, who had appeared instantly after an Internet browser window was opened.

"Shut up, Ene, I won't be responding to anything that you say for a while, because I'm gonna go watch some anime. Don't disturb me, please."

And Shintaro equipped his headphones.

"YES, MASTER!" Ene shouted through the headphones.

"GAH! SHUT UP, ENE!"

With a giggle, Ene left Shintaro alone and disappeared into some other place in the cyber world.

_Twelve anime episodes later..._

"Ahhh...I'm hungry...Eh, there's no more food, huh?Well, gotta go downstairs..."

Shintaro took off his headphones, stretched his arms and back out, turned his swivel chair around, and...

"What in the world just happened to my room?"

The sheets of his bed were a crumpled mess on the floor. The bed frame was flipped over. The pillow had a great tear in its middle, exposing its stuffing. The red jacket, which had a hanger piercing it, was down on the floor. The digital clock was lying face-down on the floor, with the shards of its face scattered around it. Beside it was a picture frame lying face-up, containing a picture of a smiling Ayano Tateyama...if only its shreds, which were lying outside the frame, were properly stuck together.

"No...Ayano's...photo...Oh well, I still have other copies of her face in my computer, but anyway..."

Shintaro, equipping an angry expression, immediately turned around to face the screen again.

"ENEEEEEEEE!"

"Yes, Master? Oh, it seems like your room is squeaky clean today, Master! It's as squeaky clean as you always are when you gaze upon your forbidden treasures, hehehe..."

"Shut. Up. Ene."

"Alright, alright, Master...So, what is it? If it's about your room, I didn't do it. I don't even know how this happened." Ene then began looking at Shintaro's room with great curiosity.

"If you didn't do it, then who did it, then?"

"Maybe the rabbit did it," Ene casually replied, still looking at the room.

"The rabbit...?" Shintaro said in disbelief as he turned his chair around again. "How is that even possi-"

The hikiNEET then found the cage lock broken, the bowls upside down, and the bag of rabbit food on top of the bowls. A dark aura was being emitted from somewhere near the front of the cage.

Shintaro moved his gaze down to the ground.

"...!"

His eyes widened.

The source of the dark aura gazed at Shintaro. It gazed with its crimson eyes, gazing like it was out for blood. Its dark aura contrasted its snow-white fur while it sharpened its blood-red eyes.

"...Wh-Wh..What's...What's going on!?"

Unfortunately, Shintaro's eyes were locked on the rabbit's eyes, and within those eyes, he saw...

"AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Shintaro's head suddenly throbbed with pain, and his eyes suddenly felt like they were burning as well, all while various voices repeatedly delivered one sentence into his mind:

_FEED...ME..._

_FEED...ME...FEED ME...FEED ME. FEEDME. FEEDMEFEEDMEFEEDME_

"ALRIGHT I'M SORRY I'LL FEED YOU ALREADY PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

"Heehee...Master looks so pathetic right now..."

"SHUT UP ENE THIS IS NOT FUNNY! AGH!"

Shintaro tripped and fell to the floor. He hurriedly crawled to the bowls and rabbit food, enduring the nagging voices that were gnawing his sanity away.

"ARRRRGGHHHHH!"

He took the bag of rabbit food and tore it open, spilling out some of its contents as his hands and arms trembled in fear. With gritted teeth and widened eyes, he flipped a bowl back into place and poured rabbit food into it. The clatter of the bits rang as a lot them rained upon the metal. Shintaro threw the bag of food towards the flipped bed frame, not caring if its contents would spill out. He quickly took the bowl and put it in front of the rabbit. Then, Shintaro, who was kneeling, lowered his face to the ground and screamed an apology:

"I'M SORRY PLEASE FORGIVE ME TONO-SAMA!"

And that was how Shintaro learned to fear the mysterious rabbit that called itself "Tono."


	3. Azami

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what's exactly going on with Azami in the canon?

"..."

How long has she been trapped in the heat-haze?

_Foolish humans..._

She was having a great life already...and then the humans just had to tear it apart.

_The simplicity of humans...that is another reason as to why I hate them...Tsukihiko is exempted from my hatred, though._

She simply sat within the red and black of her never-ending world...the world where she wished to never be lonely.

_But...to be honest...I feel like I hate Tsukihiko as well..._

Tears started to form in the medusa's eyes.

_Why did you have to leave me? Why? Why are humans' lifespans so short? WHY?_

If only she had control of her snakes, then she would have decided to wreck the whole world using them.

But since she didn't have control of her snakes, she decided to settle for a teary-eyed glare at the red and black in front of her.

After she spent minutes calming herself down, she decided to take a walk around her never-ending world.

There were humans roaming around in the heat-haze because they had died, while the other people who were with them when they died gained eye powers and stayed in the outside world.

Azami didn't care for them, though. She didn't even want them around, too.

_It's all your fault, you foolish humans._

She felt like observing the humans, but she considered them the same as every other human: simple and foolish.

And so, she decided to curl up into a ball, in a place where no one could notice her.

The medusa slept again.

Still, a voice inside her spoke:

_I don't want to be alone._

As much as she hated to admit it, she cried as she drifted into sleep.

"Don't worry, mother. I'm here for you."

Azami then felt her small body being carried onto someone's lap. Then, she felt herself being hugged from behind.

A melancholic smile formed on the black-haired medusa's face, and then she sobbed into her daughter's arms.

 _At least Shion is here,_ Azami thought as she let her emotions out.

As she fell asleep, she remembered all those happy days that she had with Tsukihiko and Shion.

_I wish I could have that happy dream again..._

_I wish I could dream that happy dream...forever..._


	4. Kenjirou

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think that there's some goodness in Kenjirou Tateyama. Still, the path that he took in order to save his wife was a pretty stupid decision. Look before you leap, Kenjirou. Look before you leap.

"I'm Magical Ayaka-chan!"

"...what?"

* * *

For some reason, Kenjirou Tateyama was walking down an empty street during the night, when suddenly, this strange black monster showed up. It was a mass of jet black snakes with blood red eyes, and it told him:

"YoUr REseArch oN Us mUsT nOt bE rEveALed To sUcH fOoLISh hUMaNS..."

Kenjirou, who had been doing research on the medusae ever since he began dating his girlfriend in university, tried not to panic. Looking at his options, he had found none. The monster's abilities was still unknown to him, and with the narrowness of the road that he was walking on, he wouldn't be able to get through it.

Despite seeing the futility in doing so, Kenjirou decided to turn around and run in desperation.

He was knocked down with ease immediately.

"Keh...Damn it..." he deadpanned as he lay face-first on the ground, with a snake wrapped around his leg.

"DiE, HuMaN..."

As he tried to calmly come to terms with the approaching entity named Death, another entity declared that Kenjirou didn't need to do that.

"That won't be necessary, you evil snake monster!"

Kenjirou heard a voice and saw a light in front of him. When he looked up, he gave out one word as his glasses fell off his face.

"...What?"

The brown-haired man couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"WhO...ArE yOu...?" the snake monster replied. Its tone seemed to have gained surprise as well.

The figure in front of the monster and its victim spun around on one heel and struck a pose. Wearing a frilly dress of white, black, and red, she flashed a smile and declared her name.

"I'm Magical Ayaka-chan!"

"...what?" Kenjirou repeated.  _My girlfriend...is a magical girl...? What is going on right now...?_

"A maGIcAL gIRL...? nO!"

"Oh, looks like you're scared now, huh, snake monster?" Ayaka answered with a smirk. She then materialized a crowbar in her hands, and it appeared with a flash of light. Holding with two hands in a kendo pose, she continued speaking. "Well, time to say goodbye, because you're gonna get a taste of my CQC that will leave you with not only a crushed body, but a crushed mind as well!"

 _I don't think I should watch what's going to happen next, but she looks so...cute..._ Kenjirou thought as he stared at his girlfriend.

"Take this!"

Ayaka's crowbar slashed at the snake holding Kenjirou's leg, causing the mass of snakes to scream in pain.

"And this!"

She jumped up and slashed down at the middle of the mass of snakes, leaving Kenjirou to re-equip his glasses and watch the brutal beatdown that she was delivering to the monster. One slash here, blood splatter there, slash combo here, screams of pain there...and all the attacking that she was doing was horrifying (because the attacking was so fast and strong, and it seemed like she was enjoying it) and arousing at the same time (because her outfit's skirt was short enough to emphasize her knee-socked legs, and it was short enough for his eyes to take a peek at what was under it).

"..."

Kenjirou stared for several moments, losing track of time as he watched his girlfriend, who was wearing some cute outfit, slice and dice a black snake monster. He continued to stare, even after his girlfriend had finished with sending the monster to oblivion using some "Eldritch Destruction Blade" or something.

"Alright," Ayaka said, dusting her hands off as she approached Kenjirou. "Are you okay, mister?"

Noticing that she was talking to him, he stuttered. "Y-Ye-Yes..."

"Alright! Another job well done!" Ayaka declared with a fist pump. "Bye now!"

"Wait!" Kenjirou shouted as Ayaka turned to leave.

"Yes?"

"Uhh..." Kenjirou said while slowly blushing, "You're cute...even if you seem scary..."

"Umm...thanks, I guess?"

"Oh, and one more thing!" Kenjirou said as he immediately stood up, adjusting his glasses before taking a deep breath.

"What is i-mmmppffhhhh?"

The bespectacled university student locked lips with the magical girl.

And then everything faded to white.

* * *

"...huh?"

The university student named Kenjirou Tateyama suddenly found himself with his head on a study table and a blanket on his back. An opening door caught his attention as sat up, stretched out, and yawned.

"Morning, sleepyhead," his girlfriend and research partner, Ayaka Asahina, said while holding two cups of coffee and handing one out to Kenjirou. "You suddenly fell asleep while we were doing homework yesterday, and I didn't feel like going back to my place, so I slept on your bed. You really need more sleep, Kenji."

"I guess so," Kenjirou said as he took a cup of coffee with one hand and scratched the back of his head with the other.

Suddenly, he remembered the dream that he had while he was asleep.

"Kenji, why are you blushing?" Ayaka asked with a mischievous grin.

"It's nothing..." Kenjirou said as he looked away, and then shook his head after a few moments. "Oh, alright, I had a dream where you were a magical girl, you saved me from some monster by using some insane CQC or something, and I...kissed you on the lips in the end..."

Ayaka simply reacted with an interested smile. "Is that so? What a coincidence. As for me, the dream that I had last night was one where you were some Super Sentai, saved me from some ugly robot by fighting with a team of goofy snakes, and then I smashed your helmet open and kissed you on the lips as well."  
Kenjirou replied with one word again:

"...what...?"

"But for you to dream of me as a magical girl..." Ayaka continued, wearing her mischievous grin again, "...You must have been hiding something from me, huh...?"

"I like a magical girl show, so what?" Kenjirou replied after taking a sip of coffee, face red with embarrassment.

"I was just messing around, Kenji, don't flip out over it," Ayaka replied with a friendly smile. "I like Super Sentai shows, and I don't care if you tell me that I have bad taste when it comes to watching TV shows. Also, I don't mind if you like magical girl shows, Kenji. Still, I wonder why you like one, though...but you don't need to talk about that immediately. Anyway, it's funny, isn't it? You know, us dreaming about each other like that?"

"Yeah...hahaha..." replied Kenjirou, smiling along with Ayaka. "We're quite strange, huh?"

"We're probably too strange, considering what we've been doing with our lives lately," Ayaka declared with amusement.

"Yeah...and I don't mind being strange. Besides, each and every one of us in this world is weird, don't you think?"

"Yup. It's just that there are people who don't want to admit it."

The couple smiled at each other. Then, as they drank their coffee, they faced the window and looked out at the sky, where the morning sun rose to brighten up the world.


	5. Shion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I should listen to Gunjou Rain more.

Shion Kozakura had issues with crowds...or perhaps the world beyond her home.

"Isn't that the strange lady living in that lone house in the forest?"

"My grandparents said that she's been living there for a long while..."

"Something about her feels off..."

No one among the other townspeople knew for sure that Shion was a half-medusa, but having an appearance that stayed the same for a really longer period of time was definitely a magnet for suspicion.  _It's only a matter of time before the town realizes what sort of person I am..._  Shion thought with a sigh.  _Why can't they accept us? We're not doing anything wrong..._

She continued to walk through town, ignoring the gossip as she went to the market to buy ingredients for her and Mary's meals.

As Shion picked some fruits and vegetables, the vendor, who was a bespectacled old woman, greeted Shion.

"Hello there, Kozakura-san."

"Umm...hello," Shion greeted with a slightly awkward smile.  _Am I really that well-known here...?_

"Oh, don't be shy, young lady!" the old woman replied with a friendly tone. "I don't think that you're a bad person, Kozakura-san, even if you don't seem to have grown older after...uhh...how many years was it...forty years? Ahaha...I'm already becoming forgetful..."

Shion suddenly felt relief upon hearing that. "Thank you..." she answered with a brighter smile.  _Maybe it's okay to interact with her more..._  "How is your business going, then?"

"Oh, it's doing okay! I'm quite forgetful, though, so my granddaughter has to remind me about things a lot! Ahaha...ahh, I still remember the old days, though..." And then the vendor stared into the distance, reminiscing old memories.

Suddenly, a girl who seemed to be ten years old appeared behind the old woman. "Grandma, there's a customer! This is no time for spacing out!" she reminded.

"Oh!" The grandma definitely seemed like she forgot, which made Shion chuckle. "Oh my, I dozed off into my memories again, ahaha!"

"Oh, Grandma, I guess you really need someone to remind you every time..." the granddaugther said as she rolled her eyes with a resigned smile, which then turned into a stare of awe when her gaze landed on Shion.

"Umm...is something wrong...?" Shion asked.

"You...You're really pretty..."

"Oh...thank you..."

"You're that strange lady living in the forest that everyone in town is talking about, right?" the girl said with an interested smile.

"Um...yes..."

"How is it like in the forest? My parents never let me out into the forest, you see. They told me that there are monsters living there."

"Ummmmm..."  _And here's a reason why I don't like talking a lot to people outside my home..._

"Sakura-chan, can't you see that she's feeling uncomfortable with how you're talking to her?" the vendor called out.

"Oh..." the little girl named Sakura said, hanging her head as she realized how Shion reacted. "I'm sorry, miss..."

"Don't worry about it," Shion replied with a friendly smile, and then she took some fruits and vegetables. "I'll be buying these now."

* * *

Shion went back to her home in the forest. As she walked through the verdant environment, she gave out a deep sigh, and then she smiled.

_Most of the townspeople feel afraid of me, but I'm glad that there's someone there who accepts me. I should tell Mary about this and write about it in my diary._

Arriving at her home, she opened the door.

"I'm home."

"Welcome back, Mama!"

The little girl in a pink dress, Mary, ran up to her tall mother and hugged her. Shion giggled, and she knelt to give her daughter a hug.

"You know, Mary," Shion gladly told her daughter, "Someone wasn't afraid of me."

"Really, Mama?" Mary asked, pulling back to show her expression of surprise. The little girl thought that everyone out there were afraid of medusae, so hearing that from her mother was a surprise, indeed.

"Yes, Mary. Now then, before I tell you about it, let's prepare our lunch first, okay?"

"Okay, Mama!"

 _Today is a good day, indeed,_ Shion thought.  _I guess I should change my opinion of the townspeople. And I guess I should be braver, too. Perhaps there are more kind people out there..._

And so, the mother and daughter went on with their day, smiling as the sun shone its light through the gaps in the forest canopy.


	6. Ayaka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Ayaka and Ayano formed a friendship with Azami and Shion while they were stuck in the Heat-Haze.

Ayaka Tateyama had died in a landslide...

"Hey, Medusa-san! Can I have a moment with you?"

...supposedly.

"..."

The black-haired medusa ignored the researcher's calls like there was no one there as she continued walking.

Ayaka wasn't going to let that stop her, though. Sure, she had been in that painful disaster of a landslide, but where she found herself in next felt like it was worth it, even if it came with the cost of her husband making a stupid decision that's currently risking the lives of her adopted kids and perhaps the whole outside world.

 _That idiot Kenji..._  Ayaka thought with an annoyed face as she remembered her husband.  _I appreciate the fact that he wants to save me, but damn that decision that he made. Anyway, I can't get out of here right now, so might as well do my research while I'm stuck here._

"I'd like to talk with you, Medusa-san!"

"..."

At that point, the black-haired medusa stopped walking. Ayaka stopped walking as well. The researcher's eyes then met a piercing red-eyed glare from the medusa.

"...What do you want from me, you foolish human?" the medusa questioned in a low tone, emphasizing her irritation by showing gritted teeth behind her lips.

"I would like to interview you, Medusa-san!" Ayaka declared with a friendly smile, ignoring the glare that was attempting to pierce her composure.

"No."

And then the medusa immediately turned around.

"I won't be going away anytime soon, Medusa-san!" Ayaka shouted. "Just let me interview you, and I swear that I will never bug you again, got it?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...uhh..."

"..."

"...So...is it okay...?"

"...Make it quick."

"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Ayaka then took the short medusa and joyfully spun around.

"..."

The black-haired medusa still wasn't feeling amused.

* * *

"What's your name?"

"Azami."

"What is this place?"

"A never-ending world that I created using my snakes."

"Does this place have a name?"

"I call it the Kagerou Daze."

"Do you have any family?"

"My husband is dead, my daughter is roaming around here, and my granddaughter is living in the outside world with my snake of Combining Eyes."

"Are those snakes in your hair?"

"...Yes."

"Those snakes are interesting! Tell me, what powers do they have?"

"..."

 _How long is this going to take, I wonder...?_ Azami thought as the researcher continued to bombard her with questions.

"Say, do you know about Super Sentai, Azami-san?"

"..."

"No? How about magical girls?

"..."

"How about the Internet?"

"..."

"Huh, looks like you never reached the current time period. Do you want to talk about family? I have a husband and kids, too, you know!"

"..."

The atmoshpere suddenly became heavier around the two women.

"You don't want to...?"

"I miss my husband and my granddaughter," Azami sadly said as she looked away.

"Is that so? I miss my husband and my kids, too," said Ayaka with a gentle expression. "Well, my adopted kids, that is. I found my biological daughter wandering around here some time ago."

"It's all your fault."

"Huh?"

"You foolish humans...are the reason why I had to go here...the reason why my family broke," Azami said with a glare and with gritted teeth.

"...Oh. I don't know what really happened to your family, but...I'm sorry..." Ayaka was now wearing a somber expression, looking down at the reddened ground below her.

"Leave me alone, foolish human. I do not want to interact with your kind any further." Azami then stood up to leave, but she stopped when she heard Ayaka say:  
"Since I won't be leaving this place anytime soon, if you need someone to talk to, feel free to approach me! I'll listen to anything that you want to talk about."

"..."

Azami looked over her shoulder, her curious gaze meeting a kind expression.

"Okay," Azami replied with a small smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Azami-san!"

Within the red-black of the Heat-Haze, two strange people became happier. The seemingly mocking sunbeams didn't feel that painful anymore, too.


	7. Hiyori

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiyori is now becoming a character that I would like to see being the protagonist in that spin-off novel that Jin-sensei is planning to make.

Hiyori Asahina.

She was a very popular girl among her classmates. Boys fought over her, girls admired her, but she wasn't interested in flaunting her popularity. Hibiya Amamiya? She doesn't think too highly of him, but she liked his loyalty towards her.

_Still, Hibiya's loyalty is kinda disgusting. Gross._

Hiyori could remember him following her around with more persistence than the other boys who fought over her. She eventually got used to having the feeling of his eyes glued to her back, but not without more instances of the word "gross" being uttered towards him whenever she talked to him. Hibiya would also give presents to her, but she wasn't interested in what she gave him most of the time.

_Well, maybe his loyalty is a nice present already...if only he weren't trying to stick to me like he would die if I wasn't within his vision or something. Gross._

Hiyori sighed. As she sat on her seat in the middle of the classroom, she looked out to the view beyond the window to her left. The noontime sun was shining, and she had just finished eating her lunch while thinking about Hibiya.

 _Wait, why am I even thinking about that gross guy?_ Hiyori thought with a frown, and then another sigh.

 _Well, at least he's better than those idiots who fight over me._ Hiyori suddenly felt like she was a princess... _Gross...It seems like Hibiya's disgusting attitude rubbed off on me...gross..._

"Did you say something about me, Hiyori?"

Hiyori glared at the person to her right upon hearing his voice.

It was Hibiya, standing beside her desk, seeming like he was there for who knows how long.

"Yeah," Hiyori replied, deciding to admit that she spoke her thoughts out loud. "You're gross, Hibiya," she casually said with a fake smile.

"Okay," Hibiya replied, still wearing that deadpan expression. Hiyori sighed again.

"Go away, Hibiya," said Hiyori as she put her head down on her desk.

"Okay, Hiyori."

And then he went back to his seat.

Hiyori glanced at Hibiya as he followed her command.  _At least he's goes away when I ask him to. He's still gross, though._

* * *

When classes had ended, Hiyori decided to go to the mall. As usual, Hibiya was walking behind her. She decided to ignore him. As usual.

Walking through the streets, she eventually forgot that a pair of apparently deadpan eyes were glued to her back. As usual.

Stopping in front of a record store, Hiyori gazed upon a poster of an orange-haired idol. A smile formed on her face as she internally fangirled. She then skipped into the record store, feeling happy and excited as she went to check out and buy Momo Kisaragi's new album. Within the air-conditioned calmness and the melodious lightness of the record store, Hiyori took a pair of headphones and listened to one of Momo Kisaragi's songs. Hearing her favorite idol's cheery voice soothed her like it was a warm shower washing away all her annoyance. The words that the idol sang also danced within her mind, causing her to tap her foot to the beat and sing along quietly with the rhythmic wind in her ears.

Minutes of tracks passed, and Hiyori took the headphones off. As she went to take a copy of the CD to the counter, a familiar voice entered her ears.

"Man, this Momo Kisaragi is boring."

Hiyori froze when she heard that.

Her head turned to look over shoulder.

A menacing glare was fired in the direction of the brown-haired boy named Hibiya Amamiya. Hibiya got the message quickly, as fear became etched in his face upon meeting the glare that could probably stab him a hundred times.

"Hi-Hi-Hiyori!?"

Hiyori turned her body around to align it with her head, and then she marched towards her target, stabbing him with her glare as she made her next words to be as sharp as knives.

"What. Did. You. Say?"

"Uhh...Uhh...I'm sorry!"

Without any form of denial, Hibiya immediately knelt and put his head down to the ground, ignoring the crowd whose attention was drawn towards him and Hiyori.

 _Well, this is awkward..._ Hiyori thought as she calmed down and noticed the weight of the crowd's curious stares. Sighing again, she squatted down near Hibiya.

"Hibiya, you can stop that now."

Hibiya, who was wearing a nervous expression, suddenly sat up upon hearing the command. "U-Understood, Hiyori-sama!"

"Shut up, Hibiya. That's gross. Just call me Hiyori."

"Yes, Hiyori!"

Hiyori could feel a vein throbbing in her head as she tried to keep calm.  _If only he weren't so obsessed with me..._

Another sigh escaped Hiyori's mouth.

_Maybe I should be kinder to him..._

"Get up already, Hibiya. I'll be buying the album. Your punishment is listening to all of Momo-chan's songs in this album for three loops today, and then you tell me what you think after that tomorrow. And you better listen to them carefully. Got it?"

"Yes, Hiyori!"

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

_The next day, at school..._

"So, what do you think of Momo-chan now, Hibiya?" Hiyori asked with a confident smile.  _No one can resist the charm of Momo-chan!_

"Momo-chan isn't boring," Hibiya replied, looking like he was nervous. "She's..."

"'She's...' what?" asked Hiyori, who became more excited.

"...fun..." replied Hibiya, looking away from Hiyori as he said that.

Hiyori's eyes suddenly turned into knives that pointed towards the nervous boy. "Really now, Hibiya? Your awkward reply seems to say something else."

"..."

"So...?"

"She's annoying." Hibiya put his head on his desk immediately in resignation.

Hiyori was starting to feel a vein throb in her head again, but she decided to calm down and let out a sigh.  _Well, I guess I shouldn't force him to like it..._

"Thanks, Hibiya," Hiyori said with a small smile on her face.

Hibiya sat up upon hearing what she said. "Huh? Why, Hiyori?"

"For being honest. And being obedient."

Hibiya blushed and looked down as he heard the compliment. "Oh...you're welcome, Hiyori..."

Hiyori sighed again and wore an amused smile.

_Huh, I guess I should be kinder to Hibiya...even though he tends to be gross. Maybe he would even clean up his attitude._

The next teacher came as Hiyori thought that, and the class began to rearrange themselves into order again. Finding it difficult to talk to Hibiya because of the sudden appearance of the teacher, Hiyori decided to speak into her mind instead.

_See you later, Hibiya._


	8. Ene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It would be funny if there were references to Nagisa Momoe, Nyaruko, and/or Yuno in Mekakucity Actors. Bonus points if Ene is involved in the references.

_"Kawashita yakusoku wasurenaiyo_

_Me o toji tashikameru..."_

It was another day of Internet surfing for Shintaro Kisaragi. He was watching an anime that he became interested in recently after hearing about it in an online forum.

"Oh...that song...it sounds familiar..."

As for Ene, it was another day of trolling for her. Hearing the song play from the depths of the hard drive, a sly grin grew on her face as she dove back to Shintaro's desktop.

"Hello, Master! Whatcha watchin?"

"GAH!"

Shintaro, who almost fell off his seat, hastily attempted to close the window where the anime was playing, but Ene kept the cursor away from the X button on the upper-right corner of the wonder.

"Leave me alone, Ene!" shouted Shintaro, who was becoming tomato red from embarrassment.

Ene, who was keeping her hold on the cursor, turned her gaze to the video that Shintaro was watching. "Hm? Magical girls? I never knew you liked magical girls, Master!"

"Shut up and leave me alone, Ene!" Shintaro's face reddened even more.

"Why are you embarrassed, Master?" Ene asked, still keeping that sly grin on her face, and then suddenly changing it to an expression of feigned horror. "Oh...could it be that Master is...a lolicon?"

"I AM NOT A LOLICON, YOU IDIOT!"

"Master doesn't sound convincing, ufufufu..."

Shintaro then grabbed the monitor and angrily put his face a few inches near the screen.  
"I'M WATCHING IT BECAUSE I'M INTERESTED IN HOW IT SUBVERTS MOST MAGICAL GIRL ANIME, ENE! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!"

 _Well, I guess this is enough for now,_ Ene thought.  _I don't want to Master to become broken to death, after all._

"Alright, Master," Ene said as she released the cursor with a smile. "I understand!"

"I hope you do, Ene," Shintaro replied with irritation. He sat down again and resumed watching the magical girl anime, which was now showing a pink-haired character preparing to go to school, playing in the media player.

_Twelve anime episodes later..._

"That was...beautiful..." said Shintaro, who was now holding a tissue to wipe his tear-filled face.

"I know, Master..." Ene added. Her eyes were also shedding tears, but they were streaming out of her eyes like waterfalls.

"Also, damn that Incubator..." Shintaro continued with a sniffle. "Remember to never make contracts with those things, okay, Ene?"

Ene stopped her waterfalls and wiped her face with her sleeves. "Okay, Master..."

"Now then, I'll be ordering some merchandise for the sake of appreciating Madoka-chan..."

"And I shall become a magical girl for Madoka-chan's sake..."

"What? Ene!"

"The world needs more magical girls in order to get rid of the world's despair, and I want to help the world!" Ene then began spinning in place, with light and electricity gathering around her as she spun.

"Ene, no!" Shintaro shouted, dramatically reaching his hand out towards the screen. Still, Ene kept spinning...and spinning...and spinning...and then the light and electricity burst out into a rain of sparkling particles around her.

"And...ta-da! Magical Cyber Girl Ene-chan is here! Ehehe!"

Ene then reappeared wearing a dress similar to Homura Akemi's outfit, although it was frillier and bluer. She also had her hair down as well, but her headphones were still equipped.

"Ene, no! Don't leave me!"

"Don't worry, Master! I'll won't leave you without a parting gift," Ene dramatically replied as she turned her straightened back to Shintaro and left towards the Internet again.

"ENEEEEEEEEEE! Ah, whatever, at least she's gone. Now then, time to talk about this in the forum and join the 'Madoka Magica Ruined My Life Club.'"

Minutes passed as Shintaro surfed, and he quickly forgot that silly little drama that he and Ene had a while ago.

Meanwhile, Ene was digging for some things to embarrass Shintaro.  _Oh, I'd love to see the look on his face when he sees them...heeheehee..._

She slyly downloaded the data into a folder, and then she rushed out into the desktop, right under the maximized browser window where Shintaro was translating his tears and angst into text for his fellow Madoka Magica fans to see.

 _As usual, Master's being an idiot,_ Ene thought as she held back a giggle.  _Oh, this is gonna be so fun!_

As Shintaro silently translated his river of emotions into text, he suddenly found the screen pausing to load some program.

"Huh, what's going on? Did the computer hang again?"

Suddenly, the photo viewer window opened, showing a picture of two certain magical girls...one black-haired and one pink-haired...who were...locked in an embrace...of sensual pleasure...

"..."

Shintaro froze.

"..."

Ene waited with excited anticipation.

"..."

Shintaro's mind began processing.

"..."

Ene tried to hold back her giggles.

"..."

Shintaro's face reddened.

"..."

Ene began to think of another way to troll Shintaro, as usual.

"..."

Shintaro reached for the mouse and gulped as he nervously moved the cursor to find if there was a next photo.

"Ahhh~Homura-chan...it feels so good~"

The voice that came out of the speakers was received by Shintaro's brain. The lightning rod wasn't ready, though, so he fainted.

The chair toppled over. Shintaro lay on his back, nose bleeding from the sudden surge of arousal that he had experienced.

"Eww, Master is such a pervert!" Ene declared with a face that was starting to crack from all the pent-up laughter, which she immediately released afterwards. "Ahahahaha! Hahahaha! Ahahaha!"

Within the darkness of the room and the light of the computer monitor, the cyber girl in a blue magical girl outfit rolled around the screen, laughing out loud at the Shintaro Kisaragi's expense.

As usual, mission accomplished for Ene.

_Still, I should make sure that he doesn't faint next time. It can be funny, sure, but still, Master's life is a precious thing...especially for her..._


	9. Mary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Souzou Forest/Kuusou Forest is such a beautiful song. Freaking nuts.

"Flowers! Would you like some flowers?"

One who knows what sort of life Mary Kozakura lived would probably think that she wouldn't be outside her house, but ever since she joined the group called the Mekakushi Dan, she had begun selling fake flowers to support her fellow Dan members. At first, she had an awkward time selling flowers (Good thing Seto was there to help her out.), but eventually, she became more confident in standing around the streets and calling out to people, which led to Seto leaving her to her job alone more. Mary was reluctant about having Seto leave ( _I miss his after-work piggyback rides...)_ , but he had a lot more work to deal with, so Mary had to sell flowers by herself at times. Fortunately, she hadn't been in any compromising situations, but in the case that such a situation happened, she always had her Meeting Eyes, ready to paralyze anyone with eyes that would dare to make contact with them.

"I haven't sold any flowers today..."

Mary sighed and then looked at the sunset in front of her.

_The sunset...It's beautiful..._

Still, the problem of having not sold any flowers was still there.

_The Dan's been running short on money recently..._

Another sigh escaped Mary's mouth, and then she decided to turn back and go home.

_Well, I better go home before it gets-_

"Whoa!"

"Ah!"

With a thud of her flower basket, Mary fell and landed on her rear after she bumped into someone.

"Are you okay, little girl?"

"Ah...I'm fine," Mary replied as she dusted off her hair and her dress.

"Here, let me help you out."

Mary then reached her hand out, and a rough, hairy hand met hers, supporting the little medusa's hand as she stood up.

The little medusa then looked up at the person who she bumped into, a tall middle-aged man wearing ragged and greasy clothes, which prominently featured a gray hoodie that was blackened by all the accumulated dirt on it. The man's pants was faded and had some tears here and there. The soles on the man's shoes were also gone as well. And most of all...

 _He stinks..._  Mary thought as she covered her nose with a sleeved arm.

"Well, the stinkiness is part of my outfit's special mode!" the man declared, proudly puffing his chest out as he smiled.

"It still stinks, mister..."

"Eh, I do wash it, but I let them go stink so that I can find kind people, you see!"

"Oh...is that so...?" Mary asked as she tilted her head, with an arm still covering her nose. "Why are you looking for kind people, then?"

The man then stuck out a thumbs-up and confidently replied. "I want to inspire them into helping out people in need more by helping them out with whatever stuff in life that they need help in!"

"Hm..." Mary responded, nodding in understanding. "Isn't that called...'pay it forward' or something...?"

"Yeah! I'm paying it forward! Anyway, this is just something that I do in my free time. What do you think about what I'm doing, little girl? I haven't been asking for feedback in a while."

"Well...it's an interesting idea...but I don't like being stinky..."

"Eh, you don't need to force yourself to do this just to help other people. Also, it's amazing that you haven't run away from me. Usually, people would scram once I'm within nasal range."

"I don't think you're a bad person, mister. Your clothes need cleaning, though."

"Yeah, I know, ahahaha! Oh yeah, maybe you need to go now, since it's getting dark, so here's some money. I'd like to buy all your flowers!"

"Eh?" Mary asked as she received a considerable amount of money from the stranger.  _This is enough for...for about a month!_ "Are you sure about giving this much, mister?"

"Yeah!" the man replied with a friendly smile as he took all of Mary's fake flowers. "You don't seem to be living that well, and I've got some excess money to share, so...yeah."

Mary then tried forming a response to the man's kindness. "Uhm...thank you, mister..."

"You're welcome! No need to pay me back, too! I want to help make this world a better place for all of us to live in! And by the way, I'll be burning these fake flowers."

"What!?"

"Yeah, I'm serious with that," explained the man who was scratching his head with an embarrassed smile. "I'd rather have real flowers than fake flowers. Burning these fake flowers reminds me that we're all mortal, and that each and every one of us will die someday. When I look at and take care of real flowers, it helps me appreciate life more. I want people to see that we should cherish these lives that we have...these lives that are as beautiful as flowers. You should learn to grow real flowers...uhh..."

"Mary. Mary Kozakura, mister."

"Yeah! Mary. Mary Kozakura. You should learn to grow real flowers! By the way, you can call me Gomi."

"Gomi...as in..."

"Yeah, I know, trash. But one man's trash can be another man's treasure, right?" replied Gomi, who smiled brightly again.

"I guess so..." Mary answered with another nod of understanding. "And I'll try learning how to grow real flowers. I'll ask my friend about it!"

"Alright! If you need help with growing flowers, you can find me at the flower shop over there!"

Mary then looked at the flower shop where the man was pointing to. Suddenly, familiarity dawned on Mary.

"Oh, that's where my friend works!"

"Really? What's his name?"

"Seto!"

"Oh, Seto! He's a great guy, alright!"  
"Yes, he is!" Mary added with child-like excitement. "Can we go there to see him? I want to see him!"

"Sure! Let's go!"

And so, the two strange people walked to the flower shop.

_I met another kind person today! I'm so happy right now! Ah, if only you were here...mother...father...grandfather...grandmother...You'd probably be happy as well!_


	10. Kido

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Shidu-sensei were to make an animated video for Mekakushi Code, I wonder how it would look like?

"My name is Tsubomi Kido, Mekakushi Dan Member No. 1, and leader of the Mekakushi Dan."

It was another day out on the streets for Kido. Check for strange happenings here, hang out at the game center there, do some work at some shop, look at some cute stuffed toys at some other shop...Well, it was another regular day for Kido.

 _I and the Mekakushi Dan must keep on looking for the secrets behind our eye powers..._ Kido thought. If she were to declare that out loud, one would usually see her being some sort of delusional teenager. Yes, she is a bit delusional, but Kido having a supernatural power in her eyes was a fact. If that wasn't a fact, then they should be seeing her walking at present, talking to herself about stuff like what sort of eye powers and eye-power-holders could be out there.

"I wonder...what if there's an eye power that's like that Black Knight leader's power?" Kido said to herself while under the cloak of her Concealing Eyes. "If there's such a power, then it'll be dangerous. I'll have to keep my eyes away from the person who holds it, and then knock them out! Or perhaps I should have them cover their eyes, or else anyone within their range can end up going murderous like that princess."

Kido then felt herself getting really sweaty from the summer heat. She knew that wearing a hoodie in summer days can make her sweat more, but she didn't want to.

"A leader must be able to endure the challenges that come by them!"Kido thought with a determined look. "This summer heat is nothing compared to the supernatural challenges ahead of me! Also, this hoodie symbolizes my leadership. And it makes me look really cool. Yeah, and I also feel really cool in a hoodie. This heat is no big deal!"

And so, Kido kept on walking around the city. She then ended up looking at the main entrance to the local stadium, where posters and banners of the idol named Momo Kisaragi were stuck all over the façade.

"Momo Kisaragi...the idol whose popularity suddenly exploded many months ago..."

Kido put a hand under chin, entering into deeper thought.

"Such sudden explosions of popularity can be signs of the supernatural...I wonder if she has an eye power? Maybe...considering those reports and eyewitness accounts where she was spotted running away from great hordes of fans...and they often happen, too...Maybe she has an eye power with an effect that's opposite of mine?"

Nodding as she thought of that possibility, Kido decided to start walking around again.

"I wonder what sort of person she is? Well, I do know that she is very energetic in her performance, and that she has a...well-developed body..." Kido suddenly started blushing at that last statement. "Well, I'm a cool leader...I have my own charms...My silence, my calmness, my coolness, my style, my hoo-WAH!"

A hand accidentally touched Kido's shoulder from behind, causing her power to deactivate and, at the same time, scream in surprise.

"Oh, hey there, Kido!"

It was a familiar voice.  _That annoying voice..._

"Oh, it's you," replied Kido, quickly wearing a deadpan expression over her embarrassed blush.

"You know," the boy named Kano said, wearing a grin that usually annoyed Kido, "I was just walking around here today, when suddenly, I accidentally find Kido near the stadium! What could that mean...?"

"I was just wandering around, Kano, and I thought that Momo Kisaragi may have an eye power."

"Really, Kido?" Kano asked, now grinning like his leader was trying to hide an embarrassing secret. "Or perhaps you're actually a fan of hers...? She's unavailable again today, since she's being guarded after another horde of fans chased her, you know?"

"..."

Kido answered with a glare.

"Oh, am I actually right, Kido? First, Kido likes stuffed toys, then Kido havs priceless reactions when she's shocked, and then Kido's actually a fan of Momo Kisa-AGH!"

"Stop being an idiot, Kano," Kido interrupted, giving Kano and a glare and a tug at his ear.

"Alright, alright, I understand, Danchou!"

"Okay. Now then, I'll be out to explore the city again, Kano, so mind your own business."

Kano, who was now grinning again despite having a painfully red ear, continued messing around with Kido. "Really, Kido? You know, I've seen you talk to yourself a lot of times...what could you be thinking about right now, Danchou?"

"..."

Another glare met Kano's silly face.

"Perhaps Kido is actually envious of Momo Kisaragi?" Kano continued, grin going wider and wider as Kido's glare grew sharper and sharper. "Momo-chan is energetic, Momo-chan can sing and dance, and Momo-chan has a really curvy body, which are traits that I don't see much in-AGH!"

"Alright, I'll admit that I'm kind of envious of Momo Kisaragi's well-developed body, but I don't think I need to be as energetic and talented as her. I've already got my calmness and my leadership skills, you know."

"You seem to be...contradicting yourself...Kido..." countered Kano as he did an exaggerated pain reaction.

"..."

Kano's response pierced Kido's mental armor as it was processed by her mind.  _Well...it's embarrassing to admit...but he's right._

"...Whatever. Let's go home." Kido, who was trying to hide her embarrassment, turned her back to Kano.

"Alright, Danchou!" exclaimed Kano, who seemed to have quickly recovered back to his grinning.

 _I guess I still need to improve,_  Kido thought as she deeply sighed.


	11. Konoha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder...What has Konoha been doing after he took the form of his gaming avatar?

It was a summertime Saturday in the Asahina residence. As the sun shone its rays through her room, Hiyori Asahina's eyes opened to meet the morning light. She sat up, yawned, and stood up, letting her untied hair stay messy and her eyes half-open as she walked to the bathroom to fix her hair and wash her face.

A few mintues later, she felt more awake. Still, there was one last touch that made her fully awake.

"Ah...Konoha..."

Konoha, a strange headphoned boy who was left there by the husband of Hiyori's late older sister. He sat straight on his dining chair, wearing a neutral expression as he waited for breakfast. For Hiyori, something about him made him look really attractive.  _Perhaps it's because he's like a calm superhero,_ she thought as she gazed upon him with awe.  _He also reminds me of those superheroes that can take on a lot of battles and challenges...Ahh...he's so cool..._

"..."

Hiyori suddenly found herself being stared at by her crush, knocking her out of her reverie.

"Ah!"

Although she tried to hide it, a blush of embarrassment appeared on her face. She hurriedly went to her dining seat and continued to wait for breakfast.

As for Konoha, he had difficulty understanding what was going on in Hiyori's mind. He received a smile from her, though.

 _Ah, she's happy..._  Konoha thought.  _I'm glad..._

Konoha smiled as well, and then Hiyori's face suddenly reddened again.

"Is there something wrong?" Konoha asked, innocently tilting his head with curiosity.

"It's nothing!" a flustered Hiyori replied as she looked away from the strange boy.

"...Okay."

Konoha went back to silence, wearing a small smile as he waited for one of the delicious meals that were made by Hiyori's parents.

* * *

When noontime had arrived, Konoha was already playing baseball with the neighborhood kids. This time, he was the batter.

"Here I go!" the smiling pitcher shouted as he threw the baseball.

Konoha, who had superhuman reflexes, kept his eyes on the ball, and then...

*THWACK*

...he swung his bat, striking the ball hard. A loud thwack rang as the ball made contact and went flying high up into the sky and far off into the distance, so high and far that all his playmates were trying to keep track of the shrinking white dot in the sky, looking at it with awe as it flew away.

"Hehe, that's our Konoha-nii-san!" a boy from Konoha's team proudly shouted from the sidelines as Konoha rounded the bases.

"But what about our ball?" the pitcher interrupted with concern.

"I'll get it for you," Konoha monotonously shouted, running towards where the ball landed.

"Hey, I'll come with you to help, Konoha-nii-san!" exclaimed one of Konoha's teammates, following Konoha, who had begun running at a speed that was strange for an average human.

* * *

As he ran through the streets with the probable location of the ball in mind, he found a familiar person.

"Come here, kitty!"

It was Hiyori, who was sitting on a swing in the park, petting a ginger cat that she had put on her lap.

"Hello, Hiyori," greeted Konoha, still using that same stoic monotone as he spoke.

Hiyori jumped a little from the swing in surprise, and then she started blushing as she laid her eyes on the tall boy named Konoha. "Hello...Konoha..."

Silently, Konoha looked at the cat, and then at Hiyori, and then the cat again. His gaze suddenly went to Hiyori's twintails, and then to Hiyori's blushing face, and then it stopped for a while at the ground as Konoha went into deeper thought.

_Black hair...in twintails..._

"What is it, Konoha?" asked Hiyori.

"...You remind me of someone," Konoha answered as he moved his gaze towards the sky.

Hearing this, Hiyori became nervous. She felt like her heart had skipped a beat, too.  _I remind him of someone!? Ah, this suddenly feels like a scene from one of those shoujo manga that I've read...aaaaaa..._ "W-Who is that someone, K-Konoha...?"

"A...girl...that I've been seeing in my dreams..."

Dropping the cat in her lap out of excitement, Hiyori felt her heart beginning to beat faster at Konoha's statement. "A girl that you've been seeing in your dreams!? What sort of girl is she?"

Still oblivious to Hiyori's excitement, Konoha continued with his monotone voice. "Black hair...in twintails..."

 _Black hair in twintails!? Ah, ah, could he be dreaming about me?_ "And?"

"...uhhh...I can't seem to remember..."

"..."

Hiyori's shoulders suddenly loosened in disappointment. "Oh...I hope you remember who she is, then..."

"Yeah...I hope so, too..." Konoha continued before suddenly remembering what he was supposed to do before. "I have to go get the baseball now, Hiyori. See you later."

"Okay...see you later...Konoha..." Hiyori replied with a small smile. After Konoha left, she went back to find the cat she was carrying before. It was out of sight already, so she decided to pick up another wandering cat to express her inner thoughts to.

As for Konoha, a blurry image flashed in his mind as he ran.

It was a girl...with black hair...in twintails...

She wore a school uniform...and she pinched and tugged his cheek...blushing as she did so...

Still, the rest of her features and her surroundings were still hazy.

_I wonder...Who is that girl in my dreams?_


	12. Momo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Momo singing in the anime is something that I find very interesting. Same goes for the other seiyuu singing their respective characters' songs.

Momo Kisaragi's fans knew many things about their favorite idol. They knew that she had decent singing and dancing skills. They knew that she had a pretty face and a well-developed body. They knew that she had really strange taste in food and video games. They knew that even if you struggled to ignore her when she was around, you would usually fail and then you would end up with your eyes stuck on her.

But there was one thing that they never knew about her. Other than the fact that Momo Kisaragi had gained the power of attracting attention, the Captivating Eyes, after meeting death by drowning along with her father during her childhood, Momo Kisaragi had one hobby that her fans never knew.

"Ahahahaha! Ah, his scream's so funny!"

She loved watching gameplay videos.

"Oh, wait-AAAAAHHHHH!"

Within the darkness of her room, Momo watched a Let's Player play a horror game. Seated on a swivel chair and wearing headphones, the idol was recovering after getting shocked by a jumpscare.

"Ah...ahahaha...Ahahahaha!"

After going through lots of horror Let's Play videos, Momo's usual reaction after encountering a jumpscare would be a jolt on her seat, a scream of surprise, and then a laugh of relief. It was quite a cathartic experience for her, which was why horror Let's Plays were one of her favorite kinds of gameplay videos.

As Momo's laughing began to stop, she heard knocks on the door.

"Come in!" Momo shouted.

The door opened, revealing her hikiNEET older brother, Shintaro Kisaragi, who wore his usual deadpan expression. It was an expression with eyes that looked like dead fish eyes, and that was one trait that the two siblings had in common up until the present.

And they still shared that same deadpan expression, even as they currently looked at each other in her room.

"What is it, Onii-chan?" Momo asked, pausing the video as she talked.  _I'm freaking stressed after today's work, and I was just getting to the good part! Argh!_

"Did a package addressed to me arrive today, Momo?" Shintaro answered. "I can't find it in my room."

"Package?" Momo raised an eyebrow, and then turned to face the monitor again upon remembering. "Oh, you mean that disgusting game? I threw it into the trash."

"WHAT?"

The younger Kisaragi threw a very sharp glare at the older one. "Yeah, you heard me right. I threw it into the trash. I'm tolerating your interest in eroge, but having a game with a younger sister as a heroine is going too far, Onii-chan."

Shintaro's expression suddenly became a mix of anger and nervousness. "Ghh...damn it..."

"Are you trying to tell me that you have more eroge like that, Onii-chan?" Momo asked with an even sharper glare. "'Cause if you do, I'll burn them down in front of you, and you'll have to promise me to never play such games again, okay?"

"Geh...fine..." Shintaro replied, hanging his head with resignation.

* * *

After Momo burning down all offending discs and giving an angry lecture to her older brother, the Kisaragi siblings agreed (Shintaro had already agreed wholeheartedly for a very long time, too.) that incest was a very disgusting form of romantic relationship.

_He's still a pervert, though,_  Momo thought as she sighed in relief over the fact that her older brother strongly disliked incest, while groaning in annoyance over the fact that her older brother still had interest in eroge.  _I can tolerate him playing those, but I still don't like them. Ugh...he's so embarrassing...It's a good thing that no one knows much about my older brother._

Momo's fans did know about the fact that she had an older brother, but they knew only through her passing mentions of him.  _Onii-chan should be kept as obscure as possible..._ the younger Kisaragi thought as she equipped her headphones in front of the computer again.

Suddenly, she remembered the wish that came out of the envy towards her brother during her childhood.

_I...got what I wished for..._ Momo's expression became melancholic as she remembered.  _I...overshadowed his popularity...but it hurts..._

She then remembered all the times when she had to run away from hordes of fans who chased her, which, compared to the other idols, happened to her more often. At first, she enjoyed it. But as the number of occurrences increased, she didn't find it fun anymore.

Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes as she remembered more and more.

She remembered that day.

That day when she thought that she had died.

That day when she escaped death.

That day when the Kisaragi siblings' father disappeared.

_Was Dad really supposed to die so that my wish could be fulfilled? Why? Why did that have to happen?_

Momo put her head on the desktop...and then she cried.

_If only I wasn't so envious of Onii-chan...then Dad wouldn't be dead right now! And I wouldn't be having stressful days like this, too!_

And so, Momo silently cried her heart out.

* * *

"Ugh, I'm out of food. I need to restock my rations," Shintaro Kisaragi said as he sat on his swivel chair in front of his computer, which was showing one of the few remaining eroge that he had left in his stash.  _Well, forget Ene for now. I need my food._

And so, he stood up and went to exit his room.

Before he went past the doorway, though, he found a folded piece of paper near it. Written on it were the words: "To Onii-chan."

_Huh...Momo._

Shintaro picked the paper up and unfolded it.

_Looks like she cried while writing this,_ Shintaro noted as he saw slightly faded ink on moist circles. Silently, he began to read it.

_Dear onii-chan,_

_I'm sorry._

_If only I hadn't been so envious of you,_

_I guess I wouldn't be experiencing this punishment right now._

_I'm sorry, onii-chan._

_I'm sorry, Dad._

_I'm sorry, Mom._

_I'm sorry._

_Momo_

Worry suddenly started to grow inside Shintaro. Frowning with more melancholy, he went to his computer, closed the eroge, and shut the computer down. Then, he walked to his younger sister's room.

"Momo, are you there?" Shintaro asked as he knocked the door. There was no response, though, so he tried opening the door.  _Huh, it's unlocked._

Taking a peek at his sister's room, the older Kisaragi found Momo sleeping in front of her computer, which was left on. Her head was on the desktop, and her arms were in folded in front of her messed-up orange hair.

Shintaro sighed at the sight.  _Well, time to be a big brother again, then._

And so, he shut his sister's computer down, and then he carried her to her bed.  _Man, she's grown, alright..._  Shintaro thought as he carried his sister.  _Or maybe it's just my body...or both..._

After carrying his sister to her bed, Shintaro turned on the lights in Momo's room and borrowed a pen. He used it to write his reply to his sister's letter at the other side of the paper, which went:

_Dear Momo,_

_Don't worry too much._

_I forgive you._

_And Dad's death..._

_It's not your fault._

_It was an accident, remember?_

_Just...well...do your best..._

_I'm sorry for being such a burden, too..._

_But I don't want to forget her..._

_Shintaro_

Shintaro left his reply on top of his sister's computer desk, turned off the lights, and went back to his room.

* * *

The morning came, and Momo found herself on her bed.

_Huh...I wonder if Onii-chan carried me here..._

Yawning and stretching as she sat up to get out of bed, Momo went to check for any other sign of her brother being present in her room during the night.

_Oh...there's the letter that I sent him._

She picked up the paper, which had her brother's reply written on it. She read it, and then she smiled.

_Even if you're such a perverted hikiNEET, thanks very much, Onii-chan._

With a smile, Momo turned to pull the curtains open and let the morning sunlight through, greeting it with a smile as it entered.

_Well, time to move forward with a skip again, then!_


	13. Kano

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like SHAFT trippiness will usually appear whenever Kano's true emotions are revealed in the anime.

"Momo Kisaragi..."

While Kido and Seto were out, Shuuya Kano was lounging around on a couch in the Mekakushi Dan headquarters, reading a magazine article about the idol named Momo Kisaragi.

_Kisaragi...she has the same last name as that idiot...His younger sister, perhaps?_

He read the article and looked at the pictures again, flipping the pages back and forth, while a frown started to grow on his face.

_She barely looks like that idiot...Is she really his sister? Ha, I bet he doesn't have a sister, considering his idiocy towards Nee-chan._

The deceiver gritted his teeth as memories of those dark days flashed in his mind again.

 _Damn_ i _t..._ Kano thought as he slammed his fist on the table in front of him. _That guy should have noticed...so that I wouldn't be suffering like this right now..._

"Ah, K-Kano-kun..."

Hearing Mary's voice, Kano activated his powers again, showing the quarter-medusa a convincing artificial smile. "Yes, Mary-chan? Is there something wrong?"

Mary looked down and started twiddling her thumbs in nervousness. "Ah...I-It's nothing...Sorry..." And then she retreated back to her room.

Kano immediately dropped the artificial smile after that, revealing his annoyed glare.  _Looks like Mary noticed. Tch, if only I could tell all you guys about it...but now's not a good time..._

With that, Kano gave out a loud, drawn-out sigh and slouched on the sofa, leaving the magazine on top of his face as he went to take a nap.

A few minutes later, Kido had returned with the idol that Kano recently read about. As he went on with introducing the Mekakushi Dan to Momo Kisaragi, excitement was hidden under his artificial friendly smile.

_Alright...The plan's going well...I-and Nee-chan-will be back to stop you, Wide-Eyed Snake..._

* * *

_Of all the people who would get involved with us, it's this idiot..._

As Kano was walking around the hostages and terrorists, no one among them noticed that he was deceiving them with his powers.

Also, he had to save Momo Kisaragi's older brother, who was actually one of those two boys that Ayano hung out with. Also, Kano hated the guy so much.

_Oh well, oh well...Do this for Nee-chan's sake, then. But first, I need to vent out this rage in some way...Ah, I got it!_

Before the deceiver went to the older Kisaragi, and while his deceiving powers were still activated, he took out his phone and took a selfie with the hostages as his background.

 _I'd probably get a gold medal at the Selfie Olympics because of this...or maybe not..._ Kano thought as he smiled to himself and sent the photo to Kido.

* * *

_With my eye power, no one will know that I don't want to ride the roller coaster._

As Shintaro Kisaragi was being dragged along by the Dan, Kano wore an artificial smile of calmness as they went on the roller coaster.

_Actually, I should just shut up right now and pretend. I don't want to be humiliated..._

Ignoring the rest of the Dan members who were now on the roller coaster seats, Kano focused on concealing his nervous face.

_Just...pretend, Shuuya Kano...Just...pretend..._

The roller coaster started moving.

_We're going up...Yes, we're going up...Once we're at the top, activate eye power to hide my screaming...Yeah...pretend, Shuuya Kano...pretend..._

The nose of the roller coaster slowly began to point downward as it began to move over the top of the climb.

_Just pretend, Shuuya Kano...Just pre-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_

As the roller coaster dropped, various expressions were on the Mekakushi Dan members' faces. Seto and Mary were having so much fun that a rain of flowers around them wouldn't be a surprise anymore. Momo and Ene were having a blast as well, while Shintaro was looking like an insane man in despair. Kido was calmly dealing with things by focusing on the music which was playing in her ears. As for Kano, he looked like he was having fun, arms raised and all that, but in reality...

_WHO SUGGESTED A ROLLER COASTER RIDE IN THE FIRST PLACE!? DAAAAAAMMMMMNNNNNNNN IIIIIIIIIIT!_

* * *

After Kano's experience in the roller coaster, he vowed to never ride one again.

Still, the nightmare wasn't over for him.

_First, a roller coaster, now a haunted house? Damn it, I wish I could get out, but for the sake of not getting humiliated, I shall be a guardian for Mary-chan and Kisaragi-chan..._

"Come on, let's go to the haunted house!" Seto excitedly shouted as he stood straight and firm.

_On second thought, I should just stay close to Seto and pretend...pretend...yeah._

"Alright then, let's go!" Kano said to their two female companions as Seto started entering the haunted house.

"Okay..." replied Momo, who nodded as she tried to keep a straight face despite her nervousness.

"S-Seto...Wait for me!" Mary said, running towards Seto immediately.

 _Oh, sure, just be scared there, girls,_ Kano thought.  _I'll feast on all your horrified expressions in order to suppress my own horrified expression. Yeah, expect the girls' horrified expressions, Shuuya Kano..._

Suddenly, a mannequin popped up in front of him.

"GAH!"

Kano's power deactivated as he hit his rear hard on the ground. Before any of his companions could react, he quickly reactivated his eye power and stood up.

"Ah, don't worry about me, I'll be moving forward now, bye!"

Shuuya Kano immediately ran away, pain deactivating his eye power again.

 _NO ONE SHOULD EVER SEE THIS EMBARRASSING SIDE OF ME!_ Kano mentally screamed as he ran through the haunted house.

The haunted house still didn't fail in giving him nightmares, though.


	14. Hibiya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Hibiya's death and his use of Focusing Eyes will be trippy scenes in the anime.

August 15th.

_I wonder...Why do I like her?_

"Leave me alone, Hibiya!"

"Hiyori, wait!"

_I just...feel jealous...I feel inferior...compared to that Konoha..._

Two children headed towards the intersection. One was an angry girl. The other was a desperate boy.

_I mean...Why isn't Hiyori noticing me?_

The red traffic light still shone.

_I've been her childhood friend. I've been following her orders, even if she's such a slave driver._

A truck was approaching.

_I've been doing everything for her, yet why does she even like that airhead!?_

The truck was like an innocent ninja to the two children as it approached.

_And...why do I like her, anyway?_

A flurry of angry shouts from the girl rained upon the desperate boy. The intersection was a long road with the speed that they showed.

_She's like a princess...An cold princess, yeah, but it makes her cuter, too...Wait._

The desperate boy's eyes met the innocent ninja. A few more seconds and it would meet the angry princess.

"HIYORI!"

The desperate boy took flight, without any intention of acting like a boastful knight in shining armor.

_I need to save her I need to save her I need to save her_

What mattered to Hibiya Amamiya was that he and Hiyori Asahina were alive.

_I'll do anything, please, I need to save you and myself, I'll be nicer to you, just don't die, please..._

The desperate boy reached the surprised girl in front of him.

_I got you, Hiyori!_

Still, the intersection was a long road.

_NO!_

The smell of red blood, the color of the sky, and the heat of the sun seemed to mock him as the black of unconsciousness began to embrace him.

_Well, if I'm gone...I hope you're safe, Hiyori..._

* * *

"Do you wish to see her again?"

_Huh? Where am I?_

The desperate boy found himself in a haze of darkness dyed in red heat.

"Do you wish to see her again, boy?"

The voice became clearer. It wasn't a lie, and it wasn't a dream. The darkness burned as his vision remained hazy.

_Do you mean Hiyori? Of course I want to see her again!_

"I'm afraid that I can't grant you that wish, though."

Hibiya's hazy vision began to redden with his own anger.

_Then why did you ask me that, then? Are you stupid?_

"Still, it seems that we share a lot in common."

_What are you talking about? Hey!_

A blurry figure of azure entered Hibiya's sight.

"Perhaps you can find her again with my help."

The blurry figure opened its mouth. Fear started creeping into the desperate boy.

_Wha...What are you...?_

"Do not worry so much, boy. Keep looking. Do not give up. Keep your eyes on your target, and you will be able to reach them."

Hibiya's sight blackened again as he entered the large mouth of the blurry figure of azure.

"Focus, boy. Reach out with your eyes. Focus, and your wishes will be fulfilled. I shall be your helper, so focus, boy. Focus."

* * *

"...!"

The tall teenager named Konoha stood in front of Hibiya Amamiya's miraculously living and unwounded body.

_What happened...?_

For some reason, there was this nagging feeling in the teenager's mind, the feeling that he had been through such a situation before, but he pushed that thought aside as he focused on trying to help the unconscious boy.

Again, surprise took his body and froze it, keeping his vision on something that wasn't there at all.

"Where's...Hiyori...?"

For some reason, Hiyori Asahina was missing. Her corpse was supposed to be there, but it wasn't. Not even a trace of her blood was present.

"...ugh..."

"Huh?"

Konoha's attention moved back to Hibiya.

"...!"

Surprise took and froze the teenager's body again. This time, Konoha's vision was focused on the younger boy's eyes.

Hibiya Amamiya's eyes shone with a bright red color, as bright as the ignored stop light that lit up again.

As Hibiya's glassy gaze of shining red met Konoha's surprised gaze, the tall teenager felt like things beyond his own presence were being gazed upon.

Still, Konoha quickly pushed that thought away, running to seek help for Hibiya Amamiya.

* * *

_Where am I?_

_(Focus.)_

_I feel like this has happened before..._

_(Focus.)_

_Did I die?_

_(Focus.)_

_Is Hiyori still alive?_

_(Focus.)_

_How many times has this happened...?_

_(Focus.)_

_What happened, anyway?_

_(Focus.)_

_What's this nagging voice in my head...?_

_(Focus.)_

_Focus?_

_(Focus.)_

_Focus...Yeah, I need to save Hiyori..._

_(Focus.)_

_Where's Hiyori, though...?_

_(Focus.)_

_Ah, I feel tired..._

_(Focus.)_

_Still, I won't give up..._

_(Focus.)_

_I have to focus._

_(Focus.)_

_For now, I need to sleep...but still..._

_(Focus.)_

_Focus._


	15. Seto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kousuke Seto is one of my role models.

Seto usually reached out to people, but still, there were times when fear tried to hold him back. Like at the scene he saw in front of him one morning, for example.

"You think you're better than us?" a teenage boy among a group of fellow teenage boys said to another, who was beaten and surrounded in an alleyway.

Seeing this scene reminded Seto of his childhood days.

_I hate you!_

_Get away from me!_

_Go die!_

Those thoughts rang in Seto's mind again, but he didn't let them bring him down.

 _That's what they think,_ Seto thought,  _but that doesn't mean that I can never be happy again!_

"Hey!" Seto shouted, charging towards the scene and stopping in front of the beaten boy.

"What, you trying to be a hero?" one of the bullies sneered.

"Heh, seeing someone charging in to save him just makes Sakurazaki look weaker," the leader added. "Come on, guys, let's go. This guy doesn't deserve to be in our crew."

And so, the bullies immediately left.

"Why did you have to save me, man?" the boy named Sakurazaki shouted.

"Why were you letting them do that to you, then?" Seto asked, a serious expression etched on his face.

"I wanted to prove that I was strong...I wanted to be their friend...I was going to beat them all down...and then you went to stop me!"

"Do you really think that beating someone up means that you're strong? Do you really think that being a friend means bending to their every whim?"

"..."

An expression mixed with shock and sadness appeared on Sakurazaki's face. Then, he started tearing up.

"...I just...wanted a friend...I...didn't want to...to look weak...I'm...useless..."

Seto sighed, and then, wearing a friendly smile, knelt in front of Sakurazaki. "If you want to be strong," Seto gently said, "Then stand up for what's truly right, even if others don't like it. If you're looking for a friend, be true and respectful to yourself and go look for people who will accept you for who you are while still being true and respectful to themselves, and you should also accept them for who they are as well. I can help you out, if you want to."

"Is there really a person like that out there...?"

"Yeah. I can't help you if you don't let me help you, you know."

"Alright...uhhh..."

"Seto."

"Alright, Seto-san...Thank you very much!" Sakurazaki smiled brightly. "You can call me Sakurazaki, by the way."

"Okay, Sakurazaki-san!" Seto answered with a bright smile. Sakurazaki's expression suddenly became worried, though.

"But...umm..."

"Yeah?"

"But what if those guys came back to beat us up...?"

"Then let's face them together! Let's not hate them, though. They can be good people. It's just that they need someone who can show them that they can be good as well."

"But they're scary..."

"You know, I suddenly remembered this line from a movie that I watched once..." Seto looked up in thought. "'Fear is a choice,' some space traveler said..." And then Seto wore a friendly smile again. "And besides, I think that the world would be happier if we didn't let fear hold us back, you know!"

Sakurazaki remained in his worried expression for a while, but then he smiled with determination. "Yeah! Thanks very much, Seto-san!"

"You're welcome, Sakurazaki-san! Oh yeah, do I need to go with you to the hospital or something?"

"Sure, Seto-san. Is it okay if you go with me to school, too? I'm going to report those guys. Don't worry, I won't hate them. They need someone who can show them that they can be good, right?"

"Yup!"

And so, Seto made a new friend again.

 _Ah, this reminds me of the time when I first met Mary..._ Seto thought as he brightly smiled.


	16. Shintaro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The time for you to start moving on is nearing, Shintaro Kisaragi.

"Ugh..."

Under the blazing morning sun, Shintaro Kisaragi swayed along the street.

"Master, you look pathetic," Ene quipped from the cellphone in Shintaro's hand.

"Shut up, Ene..." Shintaro groaned.

With his eyes focused towards the area in front of him, Shintaro swayed onwards, sweat running all over his skin and clothes.

One sway here...another sway there...

_It's so hot..._

A step here...a step there...

_Two years have passed, huh...?_

A swish here...a swish there...

_I don't want to forget her..._

A red scarf here...a red scarf there...

_Ayano...is that...you...?_

"Master!"

"GAH! What?"

"Are you okay, Master?" Ene asked with a concerned expression.

"Don't worry about me, Ene..." The boy in red straightened his back. "I can do this..."

A few seconds later, his back had arched again.

"I can...do this..."

"You should drink some water if you're thirsty, Master."

"I don't have water..."

"Then go buy a bottle, stupid Master. Look, there's a vending machine over there!"

"Fine..."

Like a weakened soldier struggling to hang on to dear life, Shintaro knelt and fumbled with his wallet. Once he had the coins out, he put them in the machine and selected a drink.

"Come on...come on..." Shintaro growled.

Metal meeting metal was heard, and Shintaro reached out for his drink. His brightening vision began to become clearer upon seeing it.

"Perfect. Now come to papa!"

Popping the tab open, Shintaro gulped and took a swig of soda.

"You're really ruining your health, Master," said Ene, who still wore her deadpan expression.

"I don't care, Ene. For me, soda is life!" The soda enthusiast then raised his can higher into the air, handling it like it was a precious treasure. A bit of the liquid spilled out from the can, and Shintaro, being a great soda enthusiast, carefully took it down again. "Better not waste life...hehehe..."

"Says the one who wasted two years of his life."

"Shut up, Ene, I don't care."

* * *

After a few minutes of savoring his favorite soda, Shintaro Kisaragi was back on the road to the department store again. This time, he was out in a street filled with more people compared to the streets he had recently gone through.

_Ugh...crowds feel annoying...It's like they want to box you in and beat you up...but I need social interaction...but I feel awkward...agh, if only I could do everything from my room..._

Putting his hands to the side of his head, Shintaro let out a long groan.

"Aaggghhhhhhh..."

"Ew, Master's disgusting. Maybe I should call the police, heeheehee..."

"Don't you dare, Ene," Shintaro quickly retorted.

"Okay! If you try being disgusting again, though, I'll be sure to give them a ring!" Ene cheerfully declared with a wink.

"Ugh, whatever." The boy in red immediately shoved the presence of the cyber girl in blue to the back of his mind.

Then, he took out a certain girl with a red scarf into the front of his mind.

_I wonder where you are right now, Ayano...? Look at me, I'm out after two years of shutting in. I really don't deserve going out, but I have to do this, since I can't live without the Internet. Ugh, maybe I shouldn't have shut myself in for you...It gets boring at times, actually. If only you were here, I guess I would have tried to understand you more...and I guess both of us would be happier...but you're not here. It sucks, really. I hate my life, but at least the Internet's there to make me feel better...and then there's you. I miss you. Good grief, I feel like I'm gonna cry..._

Shintaro immediately raised an arm to his eyes, covering and wiping off the tears that were starting to form.

"Master...are you okay...?" Ene asked with a concerned expression again.

"Just...don't talk to me right now...Ene..." Shintaro answered between sniffles. "I'm feeling...my broken heart again...just shut up...please..."

"Alright, Master...Don't forget that you still need to buy a new computer..."

"Yeah..." Shintaro removed his arm from his eyes, revealing a reddened and teary pair of them. "I'm gonna buy a computer, and I'm gonna be happy again!" he declared with more energy, resisting the urge to sniffle. "Let's go!"

Shintaro began running again, trying to endure the pain, trying to forget it all, even though a voice in his mind told him:

_Don't forget her, Shintaro._

It hurt, but another voice countered.

_You can't do anything about her anymore, Shintaro. She's dead already, and you can't do anything else about it. This life of yours...do you really think that it can bring her back? Do you really think that it can truly make you happy?_

Shintaro froze on his tracks again and looked down with an astonished expression on his face. After a few moments, he shook his head and filled the front of his mind with thoughts about getting back to the Internet. Then, he started running again.

Anger made itself prominent on his face as he ran. A burning fire with strained eyes, gritted teeth, and forceful strides blazed past the somewhat crowded street.

_It hurts...It hurts...I'm sorry, Ayano...I'm sorry..._


	17. Ayano

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're a very interesting person, Ayano Tateyama.

Under the red-black sky of shadow and heat, a girl in red, black and white walked down the corridor of the silent and almost empty copy of the school building where she once studied.

_It's been two years...I wonder how they're doing right now...?_

A red scarf hung around her neck. She walked with her eyes closed and her hands held together behind her back. Brown shoulder-length hair held by two red hairclips swayed lightly as she walked.

_Oh dear...I'm starting to outgrow my clothes...If I ever meet them again like this, it would be really embarrassing..._

At that thought, she smiled and then let out a light giggle. Facing towards an open window, she opened her eyes.

Red orbs brightly glowed as it gazed upon the red-black sky. Information flowed within her mind again as she recalled them from her memories, appearing in her mind like a status screen in a video game.

Memories of a stoic, green-haired girl appeared first.

_Tsubomi Kido...bearer of Concealing Eyes...Although she's still kinda socially awkward, she's matured into a really cool girl! Your work as a leader...You're doing it well, Tsu-chan!_

With a momentary flash, a black-haired boy in green showed up next.

_Kousuke Seto...bearer of Stealing Eyes...You've grown into a kinder, braver and more diligent person, Kou-chan! Thank you very much for your hard work for the Dan, too!_

Next up was a blonde-haired boy.

_Shuuya Kano...bearer of Deceiving Eyes...I hope that you be more honest with yourself, Shuu-chan...but still, thank you very much for your hard work! I apologize for troubling you so much back then, too..._

From the memories where she was never present in, information about a white-haired girl were pieced together.

_Mary Kozakura...bearer of Meeting Eyes...and Combining Eyes...I'm glad that Kou-chan and the Dan were able to help you look at the world more bravely, but still, you'll need to be braver! You can do it, Mary-chan! The Mekakushi Dan can help you out with that!_

Then, an orange-haired girl's information took the place of Mary's information.

_Momo Kisaragi...bearer of Captivating Eyes...Shintaro's sister...I've never seen you much back then, but even if you've been through stressful days, you seem to be a really cheerful person! You may not be as academically great as Shintaro, but I know that you have talents inside you, like your singing and dancing! Brighten up the Dan, okay, Momo-chan?_

Another flash, and then a smiling girl with blue, twin-tailed hair appeared.

_Takane Enomoto...or Ene, which you call yourself right now...bearer of Opening Eyes...Thank you very much for keeping Shintaro company while I'm gone. And thank you very much for helping him move on as well! Please keep on helping him with the Dan, Takane-senpai!_

A pause played, and then the flow resumed with the appearance of a black-haired, serious-faced boy in a red jersey.

_Shintaro Kisaragi...You're the odd one out in the Dan, but still...I know that you would still try to help them out. And...I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly...I hope that we meet again, Shintaro...so don't give up...please._

With a melancholic flash, Shintaro's information vanished and was replaced by a young, brown-haired boy's information.

_Hibiya Amamiya...bearer of Focusing Eyes...I don't know you as much as the others, but you seem to be a very good-hearted boy. Also, you remind me of Shintaro! Heeheehee...I'm glad that Momo-chan was able to help you...If only I could have been like that for Shintaro, though..._

And then the last member's information appeared with another flash.

_Haruka Kokonose...or Konoha...bearer of Awakening Eyes...I wonder if you still remember me, Takane-senpai, and Shintaro? Well, somewhere in there, maybe your memories are still there...but anyway, it seems like you're still a good-hearted person! You look really cool, too! I wonder if that's the avatar that you've been drawing in your sketchbook back then...? Anyway, thank you very much for helping out the Dan as well, Haruka-senpai!_

With a deep breath and a smile, Ayano Tateyama closed her eyes and walked down the stairs, putting away the information to the depths of her mind.

 _They're all growing up so well!_ Ayano thought with a smile.  _I can't do much compared to them, but still, I'll do my best for them, and for the world as well! I won't let my family and friends die, and I won't let that monster be created!_

"Alright!" Ayano shouted with a determined fist pump. "Time to run laps around the field again!"

Quickly running down the stairs and into the field outside the building, Ayano started running, arms spread out like wings. As she ran, she shouted with hope.

"Until we meet agaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiinnnnnnnnnn!"

Then after two laps of running and shouting, she stopped and struck a pose which was similar to the ones done in Super Sentai shows.

"Let's go! Mekakushi Dan!"


End file.
